Buy This Dolly Parton's Imagination Library License Plate

My wife and I have a 1-year-old little girl named Leighton, and she loves books! At first she just liked to chew on them, and then she got very into turning the pages. But now she'll sit in your lap and let you read to her. It's great.

Here's an amazing thing I didn't know about until we had a baby. Dolly Parton will send your child books. For free. In 1995, she started something called Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, through which she sends children under 5 a free book every month.

For instance, this month Dolly sent Leighton a book called Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman. Because I am an adult on a desperate search for attention from people on the internet, I made a joke about it:

%{[ data-embed-type="oembed" data-embed-id="https://twitter.com/iamstevenhale/status/765904723828412417" data-embed-element="aside">The book is not about Harambe. 

Here's the thing. We're very lucky. My wife and I have friends and family and co-workers who help us provide our daughter with books to enlarge her world and help her learn. The books we get from Dolly Parton help us do that and, most importantly, they do that for parents and kids who might not have any other way to get books regularly. It's a wonderful thing. 

And now you can buy a Tennessee license plate with Dolly Parton's face on it that will benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.  Do this if you can. Why?

1. You will have Dolly Parton's face on your car.

2. You will help Dolly Parton get books to children. 

Now, watch Dolly sing "I Will Always Love You" to Porter Wagoner.

Update: In my excitement about this license plate, I was a bit loose with my wording. Blair Berle from the United Way of Metro Nashville sends along this clarification about how the Imagination Library works. 

"The books are provided to children at no cost to families, however, they aren’t really 'free.' Because of the incredible work of Dolly Parton, the Imagination Library program is possible, however she does not pay for the books. Here’s how the program works: Each city or county that chooses to operate the program must fundraise to pay for the entire cost of the books and administrative costs. Here in the state of Tennessee, the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation pays for half the cost and the other half is paid for by a local non-profit. United Way of Metropolitan Nashville is the local affiliate for Davidson, Williamson and Sumner Counties."